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Work has been keeping me busy these last few weeks, I have had a bit of time to play but not much. I have shaped and fit up my Bits as the instructions call them, yesterday I was able to chop the mortices where they will go and stain them - pictures tonight or tomorrow.
 
As I mentioned earlier I received my rope from Chuck. I started rigging the ropes for the gun ports - I should have rigged  the rings off the ship - this is more difficult than I imagined it would be. I have re-rigged them several times now. My first attempt I just knotted them and didnt look right so off they came, I tried seizing with the smallest of Chucks rope and that looked WAY too bulky. Do it again. During al of this I was lurking and asking questions in the rigging forum. Bought a fly tying vice and some 80wt thread. Last night I tried it out and so far I like what I have, lots of room for improvement still but I am going in the right direction.
 
A question, What is the best way to get rid of the fuzzies? as good as chucks rope is I still have fuzzies.
 
Edit - My clumsy fingers hit "post" instead of "more reply options" Need more coffee!
 
My early attempts, not bad but bulky and the wrong color seizing

 

 
 
Bought a fly tying vice, thats helping.

 
 
Not bad, room for improvement. How do I get rid of the fuzzies?

 
Sam

Harley, the video is the instructions, sorry, I didnt make that clear. I have yet to try it, but my plan is to clamp rings, hooks. blocks etc parallel to the axis and rotate, it works for flies so in my mind at lest it stands to reason it will work for these items also. That being said, I have been wrong before.
 
Grant, that photo was taken on a one to one macro. IE; when you are at your closest focusing distance what you see in the view finder is life size, so you could say that is "extreme" macro. 
 
Just for he record in case there was any misunderstanding, the rope that came with the kit is nothing compared to Chucks rope. I cant imagine using kit rope in the future.
 
Sam

Joe,
If you like Lee Valley you will love the Japanwoodworker.com or TraditionalWoodworker.com, very similar.
Sam

Good Morning Harley,
 
I'm afraid I cannot give you any manufacturer's details for these vices mate as I've had them a good while now, the vice on the left I have had over 20 years, the cost would not have been much, a few pounds that's all. The vice on the right I purchased from a company called Troutflies UK, it came from their budget range and cost £6.99, I also purchased at the same time a Spigot Bobbin Holder £3.99 from the same company.
 
There are no attachments, just the vices and bobbin, I use the cheapest I can find and the most basic, I don't need to rotate the work so no point in getting the fancy vices. Prices have gone up but they range from £9.99 up to £320.00, ($15.86 to $507.94 US).
 
Basic is best.
 
Hope that helps.
 
mobbsie

Likewise the Trincomalee's long guns.
 
John
 

SRC and Druxey hit it on the head of the nail. It all comes down to you get what you pay for. I buy a good amount of my tools from "Lee Valley" they are not cheap but they are top of the line, but everyone has there likes and dislike for what they buy.

Druxey,
I cant agree more, I have a box full of cheap files rasps and rifflers. Very few of the cheap files I bought in my younger years were worth the packaging they came in. There is a time and a place for cheap tools, but you cant go wrong buying the best you can afford.
Sam

Sadly, no one makes one of those.

Okay, I have finally made some time to get some work done.
 
My plan is to paint the inside of the bulwarks and the margin plank and then install the deck planking which will be left natural. By doing it this way, I am avoiding the need for masking to get that clean edge between painted and natural surfaces. I have painted the inside of the bulwarks and now I have begun laying the deck planking.
 
Questions and comments welcomed.
 
Russ
 
 

I wish I had the time and energy to yard sale! I probably could have saved my self some money, I just ordered a couple of used Danvice - $72.00. I know I could have gone to Ebay, but...... this place seemed to be the one.  http://www.btsflyfishing.com/
When I told Al the owner what I was going to be using it for, he got real quiet and said "Thats a first, now I have heard everything" He was actually kind f tickled that I was going to use a fly vice for this.
Thanks again Mobsie
Sam

I wish I had the time and energy to yard sale! I probably could have saved my self some money, I just ordered a couple of used Danvice - $72.00. I know I could have gone to Ebay, but...... this place seemed to be the one.  http://www.btsflyfishing.com/
When I told Al the owner what I was going to be using it for, he got real quiet and said "Thats a first, now I have heard everything" He was actually kind f tickled that I was going to use a fly vice for this.
Thanks again Mobsie
Sam

@ Grant,
 
I'am at that part !!!!!!
I have to go to the main mast but.....not sooner then tuesday 
Work, work, work.
And of course making preparations for the visit next week from Mobbsie and his Admiral.
They want to taste the Dutch food for 4 days       
And he needs some stuff that i buy at his request !
 
@ Lawrence,
 
No sorry please !!
I know that it is confusing to see on what log you are looking.
That's why some ( older ) builders needs a scorecard.....
I think in a few weeks they are going to a bookmaker to see if they are right when they are looking at on build and say that the look to another build.
Do you still understand that? I'm not anymore......
Thanks for the good word about the rigging.
It is not going as I wanted to but....I have to deal with it how it looks at the moment.
I told Anja that I only take pictures from a distance       
 
@ Sam,
 
Welcome back at your second home called MSW       
 
I'm changing all the time between the two builds.
I love to do that !
But now I want to finish the Mirage before I go back to the San Ildefonso and rigging her....
And then I can also start the Aggy...
Yep, she is still in the box and yelling at me !!!!
Just like the Syren from Shaz       
The struggles you have, you can handle it !
I have faith in you !!!!!!!
 
@ Robbyn,
 
Thank you   
And yes, everything that I put on now, it looks if she wants to sail.....
If not, I help her with that !!!!      
 

Guys,
 
It is very easy !
Where the most replays are and the most pages is the Le Mirage !
But I can not blame you two.....age.....     ( hide and seek )
 
For the change a few pictures.
The mizzen mast is finished what concern the rigging !
I don't know it anymore where all those ropes are going.
Backwards, forwards, down, above, under, up, seeing and not seeing,hiding and visible....
It's not perfect but I'm happy who it looks.
So Read Admiral and Lieutenant Commander....take a good look!
Or where glasses...and no sun glasses please !!!!
 

Mark looks great! Is it really possible for her to "explode" when you remove from the frame board? Chain Wale is a new term for me; is that the wale the chain plates are anchored to?
Sam

No pressure on this site, is there?  
 
I'm going to bow to pressure, even though it's against my better judgement.    I guess don't want Sjors to hit me up for piccy's.  
 
Here she sits with various implements of destruction lying about...  The black square is where the broken frame was.  Still have a lot of sanding and some re-working of joints before I cut gunports and lay in the ebony wales.
 
The black X's, in case you're wondering, are for the frames I can remove after the chain wale goes on.  A top rail fits in there.  I'm thinking about removing those early just in case she decides to implode/explode/self-destruct when I start removing the build board down the road.
 

Hi Guys,
 
I have so far found the screw jaws a better vice to use mainly because it's easy to catch the release lever. If your not completed on a job the release of tension may cause the work to have to be redone.
 
The Bobbin is used to wrap the seizing around the thread, this can then be left hanging until you are ready to tie off.
 
Hope that helps.
 
mobbsie

So, which one are you gonna get!?
 
http://www.flyfishohio.com/Vise%20Review%201/Fly_Tying_Vise_Shoot-Out.htm
 
These are nice.
 
http://www.flyfishohio.com/Vise%20Review%201/so_many_vises_summary.htm

Mobbsie, thank you!! Thats great. Evidently there are two type, rotating and non rotating, is there an advantage to either?
Sam 

Good Morning Sam / Q. A.
 
I have taken a few pics of my fly tyers showing how I use them, for the purpose of these pics I have not used the correct main thread and the seizing thread is just ordinary cotton.
 
They are a "G" clamps which fits onto the edge of the workspace so the distance can be what ever you like, I'm showing close work.
 
The starting knot is a Clove Hitch and the end knots are 2 x Half Hitches.
 
The first picture is a 5mm Deadeye set up in the screw jaws with the trailing line thread clamped in the quick release.

 

 

 

 
The Bobbin is just hanging holding the line taught

 

 
The finished item, bearing in mind this is only a demo piece

 
Next is a Long Block, this was completed a while ago but still by the same method but with a brass rod to form the eye.

 

 
Here is an eyebolt that has been put in the screw jaws a tread attached to that then a 3mm double block tied in.

 

 

 

 
So there we have it guys, hope that's not too long winded and that it shows what can be done.
 
If you have any other questions that I am able to help with ask away.
 
mobbsie
 

Hull Planking and Gun Port Making

Well, after days and hours fixing the terrible planking.. I've finally done them... phew~~ 
(Thanks again Ian and Mike for your advises! If not, I might now still sitting at home waiting for the timbers.. or worse gave up)
And thank God that the curve can still go correctly.  This is how she looks like now.
 



Still looking good from a distance, but if you watch it closer you can see a lot of flaws between planks. For smaller flaws, I used the method suggested by Ian, which is to fill them with saw dust and it works well!! (Thanks Ian!) Anyway, for larger ones (around 1mm) I think I might need to fix them by wood putty.
 
I then continued to cutting off the gun ports.
 


The gun port size is 10mm * 11mm, and I made a 'mold' out of plywood so that I can marked all of them in equal size on the hull.
 


I done them in some hours, but the edges of the gun ports don't look smooth, even after sanding.. so, I decided to make gun port frames to cover them. 
 


I made a rectangular block which is 1mm  smaller in both dimension than the gun port to help me produce the frames quicker. For the frames, I used 0.5mm * 3mm walnut strips.
 

 
Since they are thin enough, I did not cut them into four pieces and glue them on, instead I just bend them.
 

 

 
Gun ports in place and glued. And then I painted them to red with tape below to prevent unwanted paint to the hull.
 


And then, finished them with 2nd planking. 
Those 'clouds' on the bow are caused by CA glue... I used it because it dries faster than wood glue, but the marks really screw up the ship's exterior.
 
Another shot on starboard.
 

 
Thanks for viewing!
 

More pics!
 
That should keep your critics silent....
 
 
Or make them talk more... hrm.....
 
Andy

Because I post picture in the log of the San Ildefonso, also pictures in this log   
 

Well... isn't that all you CAN do?  Laugh it off, fix it, and carry on?  Or at least after the expletives have blackened the air in the workshop, of course.  I'm just a sanding fool right now making powdered wood in one area, and smooth wood in the other.   I'm happy with the way it's going.

Robbyn, Great job!!
I am pretty sure the paint masks are good for epoxy and CA; I have been using one for that for years. Jays comment has made me wonder is all. 
Sam

Sam, I looked up the masks, and found them available through Walmart (and many other places) with the organic fillters, the description of the product says it is good for paint too??? I was a bit surprised, I though they would cost more than the $35 price tag I saw. I am definitely going to invest in one as soon as I can though!
 
Thank you to everyone for the kind words, and for all the encouragement you gave me along the way.
 
IT IS OFFICIAL! I HAVE COMPLETED MY FIRST BUILD
 
Now, tomorrow I can answer the call of the Syren
 
After, of course, I clean up all the bits and left over pieces from the longboat.
 
I am also looking forward to finishing the running rigging on the SF II, Keith (themadchemist) was very kind and sent me the blocks from his kit since he upgraded to Chuck's, so now I have the parts to finish her off as well!